Dundas, David, Sir, Bart (1749-1826) to James Dundas
High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02549.18 Author/Creator: Dundas, David, Sir, Bart (1749-1826) Place Written: Richmond (London), England Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 20 November 1781 Pagination: 3 p. : address : docket ; 22 x 19 cm. Order a Copy
Discusses some family news, commenting on his separation from his wife. Thanks James for his work on a seal (also discusses in GLC025490.16), but asks him not to send it until after the lottery, fearing it might be stolen. Comments on the status of their brother Ralph Dundas, Captain of the H. M. S. Bonetta, in America. Notes that in his last letter, Ralph was at Yorktown preparing for battle. By the time he is writing this he expects the battle to have been decided but does not know the outcome. Indicates that "people here differ much in opinion about what may be expected. I rather think the Fleet will have no Battle." Speculates on the dire consequences if the French Count de Grasse remained in the Chesapeake to thwart British reinforcements. Responds to James comments about a man named Sir George with more criticism: "nothing can be more insufferable than his Petulance, nothing more ridiculous than his folly, nothing more intollerable than his insolence & ignorance united." Comments on other correspondence and family matters. For contemporary correspondence from Ralph to James on his presence at Yorktown, relationship to Lord Cornwallis, and capture see GLC03676.04-.05.
Sir David Dundas, 1st Bart of Richmond, was a doctor who was appointed Sargent Surgeon to King George III in 1791.
James Dundas was a lawyer in Edinburgh, Scotland, and David's younger brother.
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.